BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Within hours of the tornadoes slamming into north Alabama, Baldwin County emergency personnel were among the crews heading into affected areas.

As of Friday, Bay Minette firefighters and Baldwin County sheriff’s deputies were in DeKalb County, while Orange Beach police were in Tuscaloosa and repair crews from Riviera Utilities and Baldwin EMC were working to fix downed power lines in Cullman.

Local crews and residents know what it is like to need help, Karen Moore, spokeswoman for Baldwin EMC, said Friday.

"We know that’s why it’s so important to go when we receive the call, because we’ve made that call and we’ve been the receiver of that help and we understand the importance of that probably more than most," Moore said.

She said the first call for help came soon after the storms began sweeping across the state Wednesday.

"We sent 22 men and equipment Wednesday," Moore, said. "They were traveling by Wednesday afternoon. We got another call Thursday morning saying that they needed more and we sent 16 yesterday (Thursday) morning with equipment, trucks and generators and right behind that we got a call that they needed two more so we sent a total of 40."

Moore said crews are working up to 18 hours a day, but repairs could take a long time.

"They can build all the distribution back, but from what we understand the transmission lines are down and so it may be slow gratification for the workers to get the lines and poles back up and still not have power. I don’t know when the transmission lines will be repaired," she said.

In DeKalb County, Baldwin deputies and Bay Minette paramedics were at work Friday. Sheriff Huey "Hoss" Mack said his eight officers have been trying to help patrol areas that have been devastated by the storms.

"They have extensive damage in the rural areas from what we’re being told, whole subdivisions and communities were totaled. There’s nothing left," Mack said. "There’s no electricity in the entire county. What they have done is sealed these communities off until they can go into them and look for bodies as well as do evaluations and assessments, so what we’ve been doing is to help seal these communities off until they’re processed and securing people’s property and everything as well."

Mack said the officers will work until Monday, when they will be relieved by other Baldwin deputies. The Sheriff’s Office was told that Baldwin deputies might be needed for two weeks, but Mack said that with the level of destruction, he expected the officers to be needed for a longer period of time.

Orange Beach Fire Chief Forney Howard said four city police officers have been sent north. He said most fire and police departments in Baldwin County have offered to send assistance and more organizations will be called on as relief efforts continue.

"They know everybody down here is ready to help whenever they can," Howard said. "That request was made of us and the mayor approved it and they went on. We sent them up there prepared to be self-sufficient for 72 hours. We sent water with them. We sent food with them. A lot of times when people come in, they become a burden when you’re trying to recover from a hurricane or tornado. We send people out that have a task, we always send them so that for at least 72 hours they should not need any help from anybody."

Baldwin County volunteers and emergency personnel have also been working to collect supplies to help victims in north Alabama.

Bill Stephens of Baldwin Baptist Disaster Relief said his organization is collecting items such as bottled water, energy bars, baby formula, blankets and diapers for babies and adults. The items will be sent to a central distribution site at Pleasant Grove High School, he said.

The items are being collected at local fire departments, police stations and the Baptist Association office on Ala. 104 in Silverhill.

Stephens said association volunteers, many of whom assisted with recovery efforts in Silverhill in March, are also preparing to go north.

"We’re on standby right now," Stephens said Friday. "We have 20 individuals waiting for the word on where to go right now."